


The Cute Suspect

by ScarletRedfox



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien is the good cop, Cop AU, Cop!Adrien, Criminal AU, Criminal!Marinette, F/M, Gen, Luka is the bad cop, Marianne is Adrien's grandma, Plagg is a real cat, adrien is a gentle but badass cop, adrien is like beefcake noir here, adrienette - Freeform, blushing marinette, buff adrien agreste, living together trope, marinette is not a hardcore criminal, ml au, very important lol, yes they have to live together
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-20
Updated: 2019-11-28
Packaged: 2020-03-08 17:25:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18899251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScarletRedfox/pseuds/ScarletRedfox
Summary: Officer Agreste was not one to be trifled with, especially when he's on duty. He'll get any criminal into the cell and does what he thinks is right and just. However, this handsome, model cop will do a double take when there's a seemingly innocent, very cute suspect forced to live with him in his home.Did he say he had a cat named Plagg?Plagg liked her, so she had to be innocent, right?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! This story was first posted on tumblr (under lady-charinette) but due to the growing interest I decided to post it here and on FFnet as a separate story! Hope everyone will like it!

Adrien Agreste ran a hand down his face, watching the woman thrash about wildly, knocking out the seventh police officer of the day since her capture, glaring threateningly at the three uniformed men circling her, trying to calm her down.

The blond rose calmly, motioning for his colleagues to stand down as he put his gun on his desk, "Hey," his tone was soft, gentle, "It's alright, nobody will hurt you. We just want to know who really tried to steal from that store." The woman focused her attention on him and if he hadn't dealt with hard criminals before, he would've been slightly intimidated by her bluebell glare.

"I told you it was me alone!" she cried out when an officer sneaked up behind her, harshly tugging against the chain to her handcuffs and pulling them up over her head.

" _Enough!_ " An authoritative voice boomed through the bustling office, stopping any and all activity in the area with it's cutting quality and volume alone, "Release her, _now_."

"B-but Mr. A-"

" _Now._ " The green in his eyes looked like poison to her, "Before I release you from your rank."

Without any hesitation, the man promptly released her chains, causing the woman to hiss in pain, craning her head to try and inspect the damage done to her stinging wrists.

Adrien moved forward, mentally cringing at how the criminal woman drew back, before taking off her handcuffs and bringing her hands to her front, rebinding her wrists, frowning at the reddened skin, "This is a police station, no matter on which side of justice the people that come here are, we don't treat them like animals." He could see how the woman stilled in surprise beside him, "Furthermore, I'll personally see to it that the woman temporarily resides in my residence while her case is being handled."

His fellow colleague, Luka Couffaine, a more calm, reasonable individual among the pack of the people in the office, placed a hand on his shoulder, "Are you sure? You know how this place is with rumours, besides, she's the main suspect in this theft." His light blue eyes met the woman's own blue ones curiously, not accusatory like the rest, but with genuine curiosity.

Adrien already suspected him of having the same suspicions as him, that she was covering for her friends who had managed to flee from the scene. Still, he shook his head, "The cells we have here are filled with male criminals, you know as well as I do what that means." While the criminals they held here weren't of the same calibre as some held in high security prisons, most of them w _ere_ rapists, burglars or the like and Adrien didn't even want to think what would happen putting a woman in there with them, one suspected to be coerced into a crime.

It seemed the woman shared his thoughts, if the tremor that washed over her was any indicator. The chains on her hands was also shaking slightly.

Luka, ever the observant one, noticed it too and shared a look with his friend before sighing, "Talk it out with the chief, but as far as I'm concerned, it's your case and you can do what you want." He glanced at the woman again, a calm, slight smile on his face, "You don't have to be scared, this guy is a diamond among the rough here." His gaze turned icy at the police officers behind the woman, "As for you, I assume you need a bit more training before you can handle criminals. Your skills are as polished as the grimy surface of my boat after a trip to the swamp, now return back to work."

The officers quickly spread, not daring to look back at their two formidable senior officers. Adrien shot a quick smile Luka's way, "You still have a sailor's mouth despite changing directions."

Luka smiled, "They're not such different occupations. There are idiots in both departments, the difference is you can throw them into the sea on a ship." Both men chuckled, even the woman seemed slightly more relaxed after the rest of the men moved away and at Luka's joke.

Adrien shook his head, "You can be really rude."

Luka shrugged, "I don't take it kindly when women are mistreated. If Kagami was here, she would've done far worse." The dark-haired man left, smiling reassuringly at the dark haired captive before entering his office.

Adrien took his duty gun and strapped it to his belt, taking his keys and bag, before grabbing the woman by the arm, far gentler than his colleagues had and leading her to the exit of the police station.

* * *

The ride to Adrien's home was quiet as the woman sitting at the back stared outside, refusing to look in his direction or engage in any type of conversation.

Adrien sighed softly, "Miss Dupain-Cheng," she didn't move, but he could see her eyes sliding in his direction, "I know you're not the one who stole the money or the equipment from that store, it's only a matter of time before we find the criminals that were with you." His hands on the steering wheel tightened, "There's also the fact that this was your first crime, you were never in our register before, not even for a speeding ticket… It'd be easier for you to confess before going to court."

Despite her earlier hostile demeanour, she didn't seem the type to commit any sort of crime, let alone theft. Adrien had worked this job well over seven years, he became good at looking for tell-tale signs when a suspect was lying or behaving suspiciously, and this woman only behaved defensively, especially when his colleagues became physical.

"Also, I apologize for my colleagues earlier, despite you being a suspect, you shouldn't have been treated like-"

"Why am I going to live with you, officer?" her tone wasn't angry, not even rude, just curious and a bit apprehensive. He could understand why, she would be living alone with a man who'd captured her.

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck, "I apologize, but this was the better alternative to you sharing the cell with the other male criminals." Silence settled over them, before Adrien spoke again calmly, "Also, the few female officers we do have are either still in training or currently on undercover missions and can't watch over you. You may not be a dangerous criminal, but you're still a suspect in need of supervision."

The woman scoffed softly, her earlier spitfire attitude coming back, "If you think I'll tell you anything about the theft, you're mistaken, _officer_."

Adrien grimaced, detecting the bitter tone in her voice.

He sighed.

* * *

"Plagg, I'm home." Adrien called out, guiding the woman through the threshold of his small apartment.

He was taking his jacket and shoes off when he felt small scratches on his leg, "Hungry, huh? Just a second." Adrien took his shoes off first before kneeling down to take off the woman's until she suddenly stepped back.

"W-what are you doing?" her face was flush with colour, eyes wide in surprise.

Adrien grinned reassuringly, trying to calm her nerves, "You're handcuffed, so I wanted to help you take off your shoes." He was kneeling on the carpet, patiently waiting for her to stretch her foot out, until he felt a furry warmth lean on his leg, "Plagg, not now."

The woman looked down at the pure black cat, who stared up at her curiously with its tail raised.

It raised its fur slightly, lips pulling back to bare fangs when the woman suddenly blinked, very slowly, a few times.

Plagg calmed down significantly, cautiously nearing the chained woman and sniffing her ankles, before rubbing his head against her legs, leaning his whole body against her now.

Adrien stifled a chuckle at the display, "You speak cat, I see."

The suspect meekly confessed, "I…love cats."

Adrien grinned, "Me too." She was slowly opening up to him it seemed, he had no idea it would be thanks to Plagg of all things that would make that happen.

The blond held his hand out, smiling up at the wary female, "May I?"

Hesitantly, she stretched her foot out towards him and Adrien hid a smile while Plagg purred loudly and rubbed his head against the woman's other standing leg. He helped take both her shoes off, before leading her towards his kitchen, "Are you hungry by chance? I can cook you something if you like."

"…You…know how to cook?" her cheeks were oddly pink and Adrien worried she might have a allergic reaction to Plagg.

"Well, I'm not the best, but I can brag about my omelettes and home-made croissants!" He felt mildly embarrassed, but the unexpected, soft giggle made him turn around in surprise.

The woman froze, closing her mouth shut, until Adrien laughed, "You're allowed to laugh. I know this isn't very comfortable, but I promise you to be the perfect gentleman. An officer will bring in your stuff later this afternoon and if you need anything else I'll buy it for you since you don't have any relatives." He waited a beat for her to process this, before continuing, "If-"

"You t-thank!" Adrien's eyes flew open at the exclamation and the woman raised her chained hands nervously flailing them around, "Ah-I-I meant thank you!" she bowed her head, cheeks a blazing red now, "T-thank you for…for taking me in despite…despite what I d-did."

Heavy silence settled over them after her outburst, only occasionally interrupted by Plagg's purring before Adrien slowly walked over to the woman and smiled down at her, "You're welcome." He knew he shouldn't do this, she was a suspect after all, but they lacked any evidence in her leading the theft, merely being used as a distraction while the real culprits escaped, "You can call me Adrien."

He could see the clear hesitation in her eyes, the way she bit her lip and looked to the side, "You don't have to-"

"M-Marinette…" she shyly met his gaze and he noticed what a lovely colour her eyes were. Not a dark blue, but not a light one like Luka's either.

"Well, Marinette, I hope your case gets finished quickly so you won't have to be forced living here for too long." He looked down at her meaningfully, "That is, if you're ready to-"

"I won't!" he was startled by the determination in her eyes, a blazing tornado of blue, "I won't sell out my friends! I-I don't care how s-sweet you are to me!"

Adrien's own cheeks suddenly heated. Sweet?

Marinette froze, covering her face, "Uhm, I-I-"

Adrien stifled his chuckles, "It's…alright. It's your choice, however, I can't take these off you until you're proven innocent." He motioned toward her handcuffs, "But if you need some ointment, I have medicine in my bathroom for the bruises on your wrists."

A small smile lit Marinette's soft features but she was looking away, "…Thank you…"

Adrien nodded, turning to grab the medicine from the cabinet and Marinette stared down at the black feline meowing up at her.

She glanced quickly towards the bathroom, before crouching down and petting the cat lovingly, "You're really cute Plagg, just like your human."

Adrien willed himself not to believe he would suffer a heart attack. His heartrate just sped up a bit. It was nothing.

Certainly not because of the cute woman – _suspect_ – in his living room calling him cute.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be updating this story on FFnet and tumblr (as lady-charinette) just in case someone can't access it here!

Marinette sighed in relief when the watchful green eyes finally left her form to focus on heating up what appeared to be store bought dinner, something with rice and vegetables. She glanced down at her feet, where the warm, purring furball had situated itself permanently.

Hesitantly glancing towards the policeman's back, Marinette slowly wiggled her toes under Plagg's weight, the cat not reacting at first. Marinette stuck her tongue out in concentration, wiggling her toes a bit harder, Plagg shifting slightly before meowing in annoyance and climbing up her leg onto her lap, sniffing her cuffed hands and shooting her what she interpreted as an annoyed look.

She smiled brightly, her mood instantly improving when the cat started purring and rubbing it's head against her bound hands and wiggling fingers, rolling on top of her thighs and playfully swiping at her wiggling fingers with his paws, claws retracted.

Marinette finally couldn't stifle a giggle when Plagg made three fast paw swipes towards her finger and promptly fell from her lap onto the ground, twisting his lithe body to land on his paws quickly.

His ears were straight on their sides, Plagg's tail flicking in surprise at the unexpected fall, "I'm so sorry kitty!" Marinette soothingly petted the black cat's fur, gently scooping him back up into her lap again, where he immediately settled back down, licking the tips of her fingers.

"He's alright, that little furball is more durable than he looks. He even beat up a _cat_ burglar once." Adrien's amused voice called from the kitchen, slightly startling Marinette, "I think the thief was more scared of my cat than me." He laughed, an airy, nice sound that made Marinette's fingers twitch, causing Plagg to affectionately nibble her pointy finger for unintentionally flicking his ear.

"Really?" Marinette stared down at the playful ball of fur, Plagg's big green eyes staring back up at her, slowly blinking. She scratched his head softly and he leaned into her touch.

"Mhm, Plagg may be a cat, but sometimes I think he has some grumpy old human inside of him just waiting to get out." Adrien was just stirring the food in the pan when the feline released a loud, wailing meow, "See?" he snorted in suppressed laughter.

Marinette giggled, gently petting the annoyed cat.

Adrien glanced at the sitting woman from the corner of his eye, watching her carefully, "Did you used to have a cat? You know how to handle a handful like Plagg pretty well." Maybe he could get her to open up little by little like this.

Marinette smiled, distracted by the soft fur of the cat on her lap, "Mhmm, her name was Tikki. I…" she swallowed, a wave of sadness washing over her, "She ran outside one day and got hit by a car so…" she bit her lip, smile twitching when Plagg nuzzled her raised finger.

Adrien paused in his stirring, mentally shooting himself in the head, "I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"N-no, it's fine really!" Marinette stared at his back, smiling kindly, "You couldn't have known." She glanced back down at Plagg, "She was very sweet and gentle, I always thought she had the personality of a human inside her. She really loved sweet treats, so I treated her twice a month with cat treats and took her to trips to grassy planes so she could stretch her legs. Living in the city can become stifling."

Adrien tensed, mind torn away from the peaceful image he'd conjured up with Marinette with a cat on a grassy field to the task at hand, he chose his next words carefully, "So...you don't like the city life, huh?" Adrien took out two plates, watching Marinette from the reflection of the glass in front of him.

She thought for a moment, still softly stroking Plagg's back, "Not really, no." she lifted her head, glancing at his back, "Do you?"

Adrien thought of what to say, until he settled for the truth, "To be honest, sometimes I want to go away too. Away from the city and the responsibilities." He fixed the second plate, taking out an additional glass, "Guess we have something in common, hm?"

Finally he turned around, two steaming plates of mouth-watering food in his hands, white crisp shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, shirt unbuttoned to the first button, forbidden views of pronounced collarbones barely hidden by the collar of his dress shirt, hair slightly messy from the steam of cooking, smile friendly but slightly guarded.

Marinette's mouth was open.

_Hot._

"Hot…"

Adrien's brows drew together in confusion, straining his ears, "Could you repeat that? I think I didn't catch it."

Marinette jumped from the realization of what she'd accidentally uttered out loud, Plagg bolting from her lap and hiding behind Adrien's feet, staring wide eyed at the nervous woman who was anxiously straightening the sleeves of her blazer, "T-those plates look hot!" she speedwalked to the man, forgetting her hands were cuffed and grabbed them in her practiced grip, stacking the two on one hand like a professional waiter.

Adrien blinked, momentarily stunned by the kneejerk reaction, "…That…that's cool." He gestured to the way she had the plates stacked on one hand, her first three fingers firmly holding onto the bottom plate, with the thumb on the outermost surface of the plate, as far away from the food as possible, with the last two fingers crooked upwards to support the upper plate balanced perfectly on her forearm, "Did you used to work in a restaurant?"

The handsome man's genuine question threw Marinette off guard and she nearly dropped the plates, quickly setting them down on the table before she made a mess and fool of herself, "U-uhm, I-uh I," she shook her head, "I-I mean my parents still run a bakery…and I used to help out often…" her heart squeezed at the thought of her parents and memories of working for them during her teenager years.

Adrien sensed the change in mood, mentally punching himself again for asking the wrong questions, before he pulled out the chair, "Shall we? Dinner is served." He made a grand gesture with his arm, motioning toward the food and Marinette smiled timidly, taking the offered seat, "Would you like me to remove them? To eat properly."

Marinette glanced down at the cuffs bounding her hands, grabbing the fork to test out how good her range was with the chain, "I don't think it's necessary, I'll be fine." It would've been more difficult had she had to cut something, using both hands, but she could comfortably eat with one hand.

Besides, she didn't want him thinking she was looking for an escape, the last thing she wanted was arouse suspicion and get sent to prison. She may be covering for those people, but she wouldn't go to prison for them and risk endangering herself more than she already was.

The blond craned his neck, mentally going through the questions he subtly had to ask before grabbing silverware and the glasses filled with water and taking his own seat across from her.

They ate in silence, occasionally broken by praises for the food's deliciousness.

Adrien glanced a few times at her facial expressions, trying to gauge the mood. His mouth opened to voice his question, but when he did, he felt something brush against his leg.

His face burned uncharacteristically.

_Did she just-_

His leg violently slammed against the table, a hiss passing through the blond's teeth at the bolt of pain shooting down his leg. Marinette jumped from the force of the table shaking, eyes wide in surprise, "What happened?!"

Adrien grinned in embarrassment, subtly rubbing his knee, cheeks still aflame, "I uh, your-I mean, my uhm…" he coughed into his head, clearing his throat and tugging at the collar of his shirt, "My knee…caught onto something." He straightened his back like a bow, stiffly continuing to eat.

Maybe the veggies will throw his mind off things.

Would she react so calmly if she had done it? But then what did brush against his leg? Was it his imagination?

Shaking his head silently, Adrien continued to eat, trying to throw the suspicious thoughts of her trying to seduce him and then escape from his mind.

After calming down from the unexpected ordeal, Marinette exhaled softly and began eating again, until she felt something warm trace her leg.

Freezing in place, Marinette waited with baited breath, until another, firmer touch made contact with her leg.

Her whole face coloured stronger than the burgundy red of Adrien's slippers, mind racing a mile a minute on what on earth was happening underneath _that table._

_Was he-?_

_No!_

He was a policeman for goodness sake!

He also seemed far more decent than his brutish colleagues. She doubted he would do something like that. He was nothing but nice and polite to her so she should show the same courtesy, despite their circumstances.

_Touch_

Marinette squeaked and her leg violently lashed out, slamming into Adrien's knee in a kneejerk reaction.

" _Ouch!_ " Adrien hissed, gripping the aching spot on his knee, eyes blown wide and the heat in his cheeks gone, "What the-!"

Marinette's entire body was still, face like a cherry, "W-why d-d-did-did y-y-you-!"

Adrien suddenly saw the tablecloth move suspiciously and he leaned down and lifted it.

What he saw made him want to sink into the ground.

Two big green eyes stared up at him innocently.

It was Plagg.

The thing that touched his leg had been his goddamn _cat_.

Which meant-

Adrien's face flushed for a completely different reason, hand covering his mouth in embarrassment, "I…I don't know what to say…"

Marinette's gaze was fixed on a spot on the tablecloth, cheeks looking worse than the red pepper in the vegetable dish, "I-I'm so-so sorry-"

Both raised their heads, immediately locking gazes before hastily turning their heads to look the other way.

Adrien suddenly felt far too hot, " _Just-just what was this?! Plagg, you stupid cat! You aren't getting any cheese from me!"_ he remembered about his earlier suspicions and mentally groaned, " _Have I no shame? How could I think she was doing it on purpose to seduce me? So far she'd behaved complacent and non-threatening, we have strong suspicions about her involvement in the theft so why -_ _ **why**_ _\- did I think she wanted to seduce me?! Great going Agreste!"_

Marinette was internally screaming, combusting, _dying_. Had she honestly thought he was making a _move_ on her? _Her?_ A woman who'd been coerced into trying to steal something?! She was nothing but a _criminal_ in his eyes! She was a _suspect!_ He was a policeman! A _gentleman! Of course_ it had been his cat!

Marinette mentally berated herself, taking deep breaths to calm her racing heart before she suffered a heart attack or worse.

They were both _adults!_

She could _do_ this!

Meekly, she raised her head, glancing shyly at the handsome man sitting opposite of her, only to find him already looking at her.

Marinette squeaked.

She _couldn't_ do this!

Trying to ignore the _cute_ noise, Adrien cleared his throat again, feeling like he'd swallowed a desert, "I-It…had been Plagg."

_Smooth Agreste, smooth._

Marinette laughed nervously, playing with a strand of her hair, "Eheh, y-yeah, I mean, I thought it was." She was lying through her teeth, but there was no need for the dangerously handsome policeman before her to know that.

Adrien froze on the spot, suppressing the urge to kick himself for his overpowering stupidity, "O-of course, yes, what else would it've been aside from Plagg." He chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck, trying to find something to save his dying ass.

Marinette thought she would cut her own wrists open from the pressure of the handcuffs. Her mind was racing with things to say to break the awkward silence, until a ring on the doorbell sounded through the apartment.

The blond paused for a second before standing up, heading out of the living area into the short hallway to the door and opening it.

Marinette tried to crane her neck to catch a glimpse of who was at the door from her sitting position at the table, until something warm brushed her leg again.

Marinette pouted at the black cat, who innocently meowed and walked off.

She sighed, trying to distract herself by picking up the plates and trying to wash them.

She heard shuffling and then the door shutting, before Adrien came back, "I got your things." He carefully set the box down on the chair she'd previously occupied, respectfully keeping the box closed. She was sure if it had been any other officer, they would've looked inside, for 'safety' reasons.

Adrien caught her trying to awkwardly wash the dishes, the task more difficult with the limited amount of chain hindering her movements. He walked to her side and gently took the rag from her hands, "You don't have to clean up, don't worry about it. You, uh, you can get settled in my room, it's just to the right when you enter the hallway." He offered her a kind, reassuring smile and Marinette used all her might to not spontaneously combust before the far too handsome man.

Did he used to be in the modelling business? He certainly had a face for that.

"Tinker too!" the unexpected words made Adrien stare at her quizzically.

Marinette's eyes grew wide over her embarrassing stumble, "I-I mean, _t-thank you_!" faster than lightning, Marinette grabbed her box and rushed out of the kitchen, out of Adrien's sight.

Adrien stood rooted to the spot, hand clutching tightly to the kitchen counter while the other tiredly ran down his face.

He tried to regulate his far too irregularly beating heart, _just what was this?!_

That had been too _cute._ Did that woman try to kill him? He was an _adult_ , he shouldn't be this affected by cute sounds or reactions.

….Adrien groaned, not believing he just called Marinette cute on at least three occasions, all in his head, thankfully.

Something brushed against his legs.

Adrien looked down.

The devil's spawn looked up at him with the most innocent green eyed stare but Adrien knew Plagg better, "…What are _you_ smiling about, huh?"

The cat blinked as if thinking, before replying to his human's grumpiness, " _Meow._ "

Adrien sighed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

 

Adrien felt like his body was completely weightless and the realization of what was happening hit him like a bolt.

He willed his body to move, but it didn’t react, not even his fingers twitched. His eyes were the only things moving, seeing and he wished they were closed.

In front of him, was the last crime scene he’d been sent to, a grotesque sight, even in his line of field.

Child murders were always the most gruesome, it wasn’t so much to the way they died: shot, cut up or strangled, it was more the way that someone who was supposed to be human could do such a monstrous thing.

No breath left nor entered him as he watched, transfixed, as the body of the young girl with corn-starch hair and empty brown eyes stared into a spot on the opposite brick wall, blood from stab wounds spilling endlessly around her still form.

The mother had been confined into restraints, the kind Adrien always experienced a crawling sensation at seeing, as she shouted and kicked and howled as if possessed, the sight of her dead child unimportant to her.

Adrien’s body felt electrified, but not in a good way, it felt like his stomach wanted to heave up everything he’d ate the past two days, which hadn’t been much, and his torso felt burning hot but his legs were ice cold.

And finally, he moved.

He _moved_.

And he woke up.

The blond panted heavily, restless hands quickly spanning the soft bed for the familiar cold metal under his pillow, then the second weapon hidden beneath the second pillow beside him.

They were there, nobody was in his house, he was safe.

A soft meowl ripped Adrien from the dark abyss he almost spiralled into, Plagg shaking his head awake and crawling into his owner’s lap, rubbing his head against Adrien’s shaking stomach and purring, the vibrations and warmth calming him down.

Finally.

It was over.

It had been another nightmare.

With trembling fingers, Adrien gently patted Plagg’s back appreciatively, silently thanking the feline for managing to rip him out of one of his episodes.

It always went like this. He would wake up in a messy cold sweat, nearly lose himself in all the terrible sensations and Plagg would be there to calm him down.

Adrien gently scooped up the purring cat, hugging him close to him, Plagg’s head almost automatically rubbing against his unruly blond tresses, his purring doing wonders to slow the erratic beat of his heart.

With a long exhale, Adrien slowly fell back against his pillow, still holding his cat, trying to regain control of his body and will the icy shiver away.

It had been only a nightmare.

His shoulders tensed when he heard a noise in the kitchen, green eyes shooting to his locked door.

Was…there an intruder?

Why hadn’t Plagg reacted? He was usually upon the poor fool before Adrien even took out his gun. Was he in too deep a sleep? Was Plagg to distracted to calm him down?

He heard another noise, this time it sounded like a moving ceramic cup and Adrien quickly deposited Plagg on his bed, taking his gun from beneath the pillow and stalking slowly towards his locked door.

The click of the lock wasn’t heard, Adrien timing it perfectly with the next noise he heard. The sounds grew clearer and louder as he neared the living room, the sliding doors between the kitchen and living room partly pushed open.

He saw a shadowy figure move behind the thin paper of the doors and his eyes narrowed, pulling the safety of the gun and quietly moving closer.

The next time the figure moved, Adrien launched.

A scream sounded loudly in his apartment and it took all of Adrien’s willpower not to pull the trigger, shocked bluebell eyes were locked on his still haunted, alert green ones.

Adrien quickly pulled the gun down, putting the safety back on and scanning his surroundings more clearly.

Marinette was there, holding a bowl clumsily between two bound hands, a cup set next to the coffee machine, a cabinet open, revealing his assortment of spices.

And her petrified look.

“What…what are you doing?” the breath the officer had regained earlier had been knocked out of him the minute he glanced at an equally shocked Marinette. That had given him a scare, it hadn’t been an intruder, it had been the suspect in his house.

Marinette squeaked, an instinctive reaction Adrien deduced, and quickly set the bowl down, hands drawn tightly to her body, “I-I’m sorry! I, I-I just wanted-I-“ Adrien realized what it must look like, gun poised down but still clutched tightly in his hands, his eyes locked onto her every move.

He quickly put the gun down on the table, sliding it away from both of them, running a hand down his face as his lips pulled up into a half smile, haunted eyes lightning up in amusement, “…Need some help?” Adrien gestured toward the milk carton and the bowl.

The woman’s cheeks turned a concerning cherry red and Adrien briefly wondered if she was allergic to shock – _could_ someone be allergic to shock? – before her lips moved in a flurry, “Y-Yes, please!”

She stepped aside to let Adrien have room, not meeting his eyes or even looking at him as he quickly grabbed the cereal box from the opposite drawer, patting it meaningfully so she knew where it was for the next time and throwing in a coffee capsule for their morning coffee, placing her cup underneath, “There, need help with anything else?” Adrien looked at her still form, before she quickly shook her head, thanking him and clumsily filling her bowl with cereals.

The blond watched her slowly sit down at the table and he sighed, pulling the chair out from the opposite side of her and sitting down, “Listen I…I’m sorry about earlier.” Marinette was as quiet as a mouse, eyes locked on him, “I didn’t mean to threaten you like that I swear, I…you caught me off guard. I thought there was an intruder here.” He ran a hand through his hair, eyes downcast in shame.

The rattling of the chain caused him to look at the silent woman, who offered him a small, understanding smile, “It’s alright…I understand, you don’t have to apologize. I guess I wasn’t thinking, I didn’t think about how it might look like to you with me snooping around here.”

Adrien quickly shook his head, “No, no, no. You…you may be a suspect, for now, but you’ll live here too temporarily and you can always take whatever you want from the food I have.” His eyes looked genuine and that seemed to calm her significantly, “It won’t happen again, I swear.” He offered her a smile and there was the fierce redness over her cheeks as she smiled back at him.

Then, Adrien became painfully aware of his state of dress.

Or _undress._

Coughing awkwardly into his hand, Marinette’s eyes moved to him curiously when he slowly tried to what looked like sneak out of the room.

For his sake, and hers, she looked away, the fierce blush on her cheeks growing even worse all the way to her ears, trying not to think of the way the undershirt had hugged his toned body, nor the obvious six-pack the man was sporting beneath it, nor the defined arms-

The spoon in her hand flicked upwards, splashing milk and cereal on the table and Marinette quickly scrambled to wipe it away, shooting a cautious glance at the door to make sure the officer didn’t see what she’d done.

She was _doomed._

* * *

 

In his defence, Adrien had thought he was being robbed.

It wouldn’t have been the first time he fought with criminals in his PJ or underwear, he had even shot one in the shoulder dressed only in a towel after the scumbag had unceremoniously surprised him at home.

To this day, Adrien wondered how some people had no manners.

Still, having a woman, an admittedly _cute_ one, a _suspect_ , see him like this, completely disorientated, dressed in nothing but an undershirt and boxer shorts, had him feeling a bit shy.

When he came back into his room and spotted the lazy cat stretched out on his blanket, Adrien frowned.

Without warning, Adrien pulled the blanket, flipping the black feline twice in the air before Plagg landed on his feet, ears drawn to the sides in surprise, eyes wide on his.

Adrien crossed his arms and Plagg had the decency, for a cat, to lower his head as if in shame.

If Plagg were a human, he would’ve smacked him.

Instead, Adrien sat down next to the cat and ruffled his head, grabbing his fleeing form and cuddling him to his chest, raising a finger admonishingly right in front of Plagg’s face, “You’re a very bad cat, you know that? I almost gave her a heart attack Plagg.” The cat stared up at him in disinterest and yawned, cuddling his head against Adrien’s chest.

Adrien sighed, giving the feline a quick kiss on his forehead before he let him go, opening his closet to get ready for the day.

He didn’t want a repeat of the embarrassing encounter from before.

* * *

 

Marinette was finished finally, albeit awkwardly cleaning her bowl and setting it aside to dry. She was now sitting at the table, packed cereal box waiting for the man to put it back where it was, since she was just a tiny bit too short to reach the drawer.

She felt something brush against her legs and Marinette glanced down, spotting the adorable black cat staring up at her.

Marinette patted her thigh, pushing the chair away to give Plagg room to manoeuvre in.

He didn’t waste a second, already circling his spot on her lap to sit on, purring loudly when her hand absently petted him, while she drank coffee with the other.

She was thankful Plagg was here, it distracted Marinette from her very recent, very indecent thoughts about a _police officer_ and sparing herself any more embarrassment this morning.

She just hoped she hadn’t been too obvious with her ogling.

He didn’t seem to have noticed much, still in his own shock from their encounter this morning.

Her eyes had unwillingly strayed to the way his body moved when he stretched a toned arm up to grab the cereal box, shorts riding up on those muscled thighs.

He had a nice ass.

Marinette frowned, trying to blame the heat in her face on the steam from her coffee.

Marinette had seen plenty of handsome men, Nathaniel wasn’t a bad looking man for one, after high school, he had experienced several growth spurts, he let his hair grow out a bit more, his jawline had miraculously grown defined. She had plenty of handsome friends.

Just no jaw droppingly gorgeous police officers.

For the umpteenth time this morning alone, Marinette shook her head, trying to rid herself of the impure thoughts.

“Something wrong?” she froze when she heard the now clear, less sleepy voice somewhere beside her.

Adrien was dressed in full police regalia, previously messy hair combed neatly.

Marinette’s heart was still racing, but she didn’t feel like she would get a premature heart attack anytime soon, “No, I uh, I was just thinking.” Plagg was now contently sprawled across her lap, the feline still purring, “Plagg is keeping me company.”

Adrien’s gaze shot to his traitorous cat, who looked like the epitome of bliss itself, laying there on Marinette’s lap.

_Traitor._

Adrien shook his head, “Yeah, I can see that. Just give him a shove if he becomes unbearable, he can be a handful at times.” Plagg lifted his head, as if sensing Adrien was badmouthing him again and stared at his human before blinking slowly and letting his head fall back against the woman’s cozy warmth, still purring.

He swore the cat was secretly a human, a very grumpy, old human who loved to annoy the living daylights out of him.

Adrien would just wake up one day, human Plagg next to him, drawling in a lazy tone, “ _Hah! Stupid kid, I was a human all along! Now get me my camembert!”_

He was _sure_ of it.

Marinette’s question had ripped him from his thoughts, “Aren’t you going to eat?”

Adrien blinked, “No, I…I’ll eat at work.” He cleared his throat, quickly fixing himself a cup of coffee, downing it in one go and grabbing his equipment, “A police officer will come here to keep an eye on you. It’s, ah, routine, not that you’re a dangerous criminal but since I’m not here to supervise you, you’re not allowed to stay alone since you’re still a suspect.” Adrien scratched the back of his neck.

The dark-haired woman smiled, “No worries, I get it. Just um, how many times do I need to feed him?” she gestured towards Plagg, the cat still lounging comfortably on her lap.

“Oh, Plagg, you don’t have to worry about that, the police officer that will come here is a friend of mine, she knows what to do. If you need help with anything, she can help you out. I can call her and ask her to fix you something to eat.” It brought a smile to his lips when Marinette smiled and thanked him for his thoughtfulness.

Before Adrien stepped out of the kitchen, he stopped by the threshold, his back still to her, “Before I forget, you’ll get a fresh change of clothes, it’d be useful if you tell my colleague where your apartment is, to pick up your own clothes.” With that, he checked his gear one last time and left his apartment, locking it.

Adrien was slightly worried how Marinette would react to his friend, but he hoped the two women would get along.

Plagg liked her, she couldn’t be bad.

* * *

 

Marinette sighed, looking down at the sleepy cat and giggling, petting his head tenderly, “Hey, you, you sure like to sleep, don’t you?” she remembered how energetic Tikki used to be, that cat wouldn’t give her even a minute to stay still, she was always on the move.

She scratched behind Plagg’s ear and the cat purred, readjusting before slumping his head against her stomach.

She smiled, fighting back the blurry vision threatening to consume her.

How did it end up like this?

She hadn’t expected any of it.

Now she was being detained like some _criminal_. Marinette wiped at her eyes quickly, drying her moist fingers on the fabric of her blazer.

_It’s all or nothing._

The words from one of the men she’d tagged along with echoed back to her and Marinette clenched her free fist tightly.

If only she had stayed out of it, if only she didn’t poke her nose in where it wasn’t needed.

If only she hadn’t _cared_.

Marinette wept silently, drawing comfort from the now purring cat, heart clenching painfully in a vice.

Her life couldn’t get any worse.

* * *

 

His phone was ringing just when he entered the precinct.

Adrien rolled his eyes tiredly, ignoring the incessant buzzing in his pocket and jogging up the steps to the first floor.

The buzzing of his phone persisted right until he reached the common area where all his colleagues were at their desks. He immediately spotted the culprit, who was anxiously jabbing at the numbers on his phone.

Adrien walked over and deadpanned, “Adrien here.”

The brown haired man jumped in fright, hand to his heart as he gazed at the blond with wide blow eyes, “Oh my god! Adrien! Don’t scare me like that!” the blond fixed him with a look, “I was calling you! Why didn’t you pick up?”

All he received was a stare, “I was in the building, Wayhem.”

The young man pouted, “But-but I called you a minute ago!”

“I was in the _building_ , Wayhem.”

Wayhem released a long, drawn out sigh, “…Fine…you still didn’t pick up.” An eyeroll, “Anyway, what’s up with that suspect? I heard she’s in your apartment! Do you need me to check her out for you? Not-not _check out_ but you know, like, ‘keep the situation under _control_ ’?” Wayhem smiled dopily and Adrien steeled his already fraying nerves. Wayhem was a good guy, but _mon dieu_ was he a handful.

“No, thanks, I got it covered.” he cleared his throat, checking his phone, “I called her in, so she should be driving to my house at this very moment.”

Wayhem frowned, crossing his arms, “Oh? That blondie? Why does _she_ get special treatment?!”

Adrien found himself eye-rolling far too often today, “Wayhem, she’s a childhood friend, we’ve known each-other since our diaper days.” He walked over to his desk, which was in front of Wayhem’s, under his request, and sat down, scanning the new papers on it, “Besides, she’s a woman.”

The oblivious man before him blinked, “So? I can do girl talks no problem! I can even wear a wig perfectly!” he dramatically framed his face and posed.

Adrien chuckled awkwardly, “Heh…yeah…I know.”

He definitely did after that very awkward birthday party where Wayhem showed up dressed as him, with a blond wig, green contacts and his outfit.

Adrien was glad his birthdays were limited to close friends, those present knew how… _creative_ Wayhem could get.

* * *

 

Marinette held her hands in the air, giggling when Plagg raised his own paws and she gently pushed her hands against his paws, causing the cat to lean against them and rub up against her, purring.

The woman giggled, “Plagg, you’re supposed to move your paws! Alright, let’s do that again.” She raised her hands and Plagg did the same, until the cat suddenly froze.

With a raised tail, Plagg trotted towards the door and Marinette watched him curiously, until she heard the clicking of heels sound from somewhere outside the door.

She slowly got up from the floor, looking at the room for anything to protect herself with. Maybe it was an intruder? Could it be one of the officers Adrien said would come over?

She braced herself, eyes locked on the door.

There was a rattling of keys and Marinette’s heart nearly leaped up to her throat, sighing in relief when she realized it must’ve been Adrien, since he was the only one with keys.

Dread quickly filled the pit of her stomach when a different blond entered the apartment.

It was a _her_.

Dressed in full uniform and with noticeable make-up plastered to her face, icy blue eyes locked onto her apprehensive ones, “Miss Dupain-Cheng? _I’m_ Captain Bourgeois, your new babysitter.”

Marinette didn’t like the arrogant tone in her voice.

She didn’t like it _one bit._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading everyone! Let me know what you think so far! :)


	4. Chapter 4

 

“Miss Dupain-Cheng? _I’m_ Captain Bourgeois, your new babysitter.”

Marinette swallowed, eyes locked onto cold blue ones, “Babysitter?”

The blonde flicked her hair over her shoulder, the sudden slam and locking of the door making her wince, “Precisely, I’ll be making sure you behave while officer Agreste is at work.” Without any hesitation, the woman took off her shoes and hat, before guiding Marinette by her elbow towards the living room.

Marinette clumsily followed, frowning at the slight pressure on her elbow, but begrudgingly following to not aggravate the female policewoman. It was obvious she meant business and Marinette was never one to mess with the law.

Well….until…that incident.

Marinette was deposited on the couch, while the captain strolled into the kitchen. From the corner of her eye, she spotted Plagg watching her, he seemed relaxed enough, but not overly affectionate as he was towards his owner or Marinette.

The captain stopped beside the black cat, scrunching her nose, “Someone needs a bath.”

Plagg hissed, but it was no serious threat, his tail was still relaxed, back not hunched and he promptly walked over to Marinette, who gently scratched his head. He laid down near Marinette’s feet, as if to guard her against the blonde woman.

Marinette wondered what relationship the woman had to Plagg, to Mr. Agreste in general. He called her a friend, but she seemed so casual in his home, as if she knew exactly where everything was, as if she practically lived there.

As it turned out, she did. The blonde woman opened cupboards and drawers Marinette hadn’t explored yet, effortlessly taking out ingredients, utensils and setting up water to boil.

The sleeves of her uniform were meticulously rolled up, folded, before she set to work on the cutting board.

The minute Marinette’s chains rattled when she wanted to stand up and ask if she could help, the rhythmic sounds from the knife hitting the cutting board stopped and the woman’s back grew even more rigid if possible, her head tilted so she caught a glimpse of the suspect from the corner of her eyes.

The dark-haired woman froze, feeling like a deer caught in headlights, before her trembling lips finally stilled enough to speak, “Uhm…do…do you need help-“

“No, thank you.”

The answer was curt, sharp and painless.

The woman suspected this was how the rest of her day with the captain would go.

Mr. Agreste mentioned the woman was a friend, how could such a kind man like him possibly be friends with someone like her?

“ _Ice queen.”_ Marinette’s thoughts halted abruptly when the captain moved her head, as if actually hearing her thoughts, before she dumped what looked like chopped up vegetables into the pot filled with water.

Exhaling in relief, Marinette felt her body sag back against the couch. She saw Plagg jump onto the empty spot next to her, cuddling up to her side and purring contently, his head resting on the side of her stomach.

Marinette petted his head, feeling slightly more reassured about her situation, it remined her of Tikki nuzzling her to comfort her whenever she had deadlines to meet or an overload of work on her designs.

“Miss Dupain-Cheng,” the authoritative voice caused Marinette to straighten automatically, “Have you or have you not been responsible for the robbery at the store?”

She didn’t expect the straightforward question, weren’t police officers supposed to interrogate her first? Maybe use sly tactics or intimidation or a play with words to butter her up? Did only detectives do that?

She swallowed, stiffening, lips set into a thin line.

She wouldn’t, she gave her word.

After another moment of silence, captain Bourgeois finished cleaning the knife and cutting board and set it aside, stirring the pot, not once turning to face the suspect, “I see.” She paused briefly, as if thinking, “Armed robbery gets you either three years in jail or up to eight in repeat and especially violent offenses. According to the background check we did of you, you’re not a repeat offender, which will lessen your sentence. Your sentence will also be lessened if you confess the identity of the other offenders involved.”

Marinette sat still, listening to the captain recite it so easily, like a bullet from a shotgun, quick, precise, fast. Her stomach churned, she couldn’t rat out the others, but she was the only one caught, she would be the one sent to prison. What would maman and papa think? What of her job at the designing company?

A shaky breath left her lips, feet nervously shifting against the carpet, “I-I know what you’re doing, I won’t tell anything.” She didn’t dare look at the woman’s back, least she turned and pierced her soul with those icy eyes.

The captain huffed, but gave no other reaction to her statement, except, “Suit yourself, Miss Dupain.”

Something hardened within Marinette and she spoke through grit teeth, a fierceness to her voice that wasn’t there before, “It’s Dupain _-Cheng_ , Miss Bourgeois.”

“That’s _Captain_ Bourgeois, to you Miss Dupain-Cheng.”

Despite her harsh tone, there was a small smile on the blonde’s lips.

* * *

 

Adrien’s eyes scanned the information written on the piece of paper, lips captured between his teeth as he calculated the distance between the precinct and the address.

“Hey! Heading out?” Wayhem strolled by with a fresh stack of papers in his hands, probably another case, or research materials for an old one.

Adrien smiled weakly, “Yeah.”

The brunet rose an eyebrow curiously, “Hey, what’s up Mr. Sunshine?”

Adrien sighed, leaning his head back against his chair, “You think she’s involved beyond a reluctant accomplice?”

Wayhem glanced at the paper in his friend’s hand, before he gaze swept over the files of the recent robbery and he stuck his bottom lip out, “Well….hard to say. Do you have evidence denying it?”

The conflicted look on his face told Wayhem all he had to know, “So, what makes you so sure she was forced to tag along? I mean, she still refuses to say any names, right?”

The blond straightened in his chair and ran a hand through his hair, “Yes, but… she’s not in our files, not even for a speeding ticket. She never did any sort of offense in her life, suddenly diving headfirst into robbery doesn’t seem logical. Not to mention, what would drive a young woman such as her to do this? She seems jumpy, a bit clumsy and nervous, not exactly the usual profile of the people we throw into the cell.”

Wayhem gave a loud, drawn out sigh, getting annoyed looks from some of their colleagues, Adrien smiled apologetically at them and they turned their heads to concentrate back on their work, “Maybe it’s just an act? To get you off her trail?”

Adrien shook his head, “I don’t think so, earlier this morning, when I surprised her in the kitchen, she was like a scared deer. A seasoned criminal would react differently, or at least someone who’s committed a crime before. Also, I gave her enough openings to surprise me or just attempt to escape. She took none of them, I don’t think she even noticed any of them. She could’ve attempted to flee when my back was turned, try to break the window during the night, anything. She didn’t do anything Wayhem, she behaves like a scared civilian held hostage.”

Wayhem pursed his lips, rubbing his chin, “Hmm….there’s that.” His eyes narrowed suspiciously, “Wait, how is Plagg reacting?”

Adrien shrugged, “Plagg loves her. He showers her with affection. Hasn’t hissed even once. He didn’t even react in the morning when she was in the kitchen and I asleep. He was laying right next to me, as if we were alone.”

“Fur standing on end?”

“Nope.”

“Did he try to bite her when she got near his cheese stash?”

Adrien gasped, “Not _once_! Not even once, Wayhem! He has his cheese stash in multiple places, right? She walked near it at least several times, but he _never_ reacted.” The man ran his hands down his face in frustration, “She must be innocent Wayhem!”

The brunet looked exasperated, “But-but _why_?! Ugh, there’s nothing going on! I _need_ her to be a little guilty just to spice things up a bit!” he pouted like a child, “Just imagine, handsome cop living with dangerous criminal? Hunk of a cop forced to share living quarters with deadly woman looking to slit his throat-“

Adrien pushed his overzealous face away from him, expression flat, “First, stop describing me so weirdly. Second, she’s barely an amateur criminal. Slitting my throat? She _jumped_ when I opened the door, I can’t imagine her sneaking around anywhere with a dagger in her hands.” The blond stood up, grabbing his jacket off his stool and putting it on.

Wayhem followed him towards the exit, gesticulating wildly with his hands, “You _know_ how female criminals can get, no hate, but they often employ charm and the innocent, defenseless act to fool. It happened before Adrien, we have a few psychopaths in the cell for that you know.” He would need to be an octopus to be able to count how many times they’ve arrested females, and males, who employed various practices of deceit and false charm to get their way out of a jail sentence.

“You know, it’s always the quiet ones!” Adrien leveled Wayhem with a half tired, half amused look.

“Yeah…I know, Wayhem.” With that, Adrien left through the double doors and towards the elevator, an amused smirk on his lips from recalling memories of Wayhem a few years ago, the quiet, shy recruit who was scared of everything and anything.

* * *

 

_12 Rue Gotlib, 21st arrondissement_

Adrien looked at the paper in his hand, before he looked upon the building he now stood in front of.

It definitely was the same address.

Pocketing the piece of paper, Adrien made his way inside.

The bell chime above his head alerted the patrons within of his arrival. Almost immediately, a shorter woman of Chinese descent greeted him with a bright, warm smile, “Welcome!”

A tall, large man emerged from behind what Adrien deduced was a kitchen, waving friendlily at him, “Good day, young man!”

Adrien paused, inhaling the sweet scent of baked goods and the warm, inviting atmosphere around him.

He had expected many things, a small apartment, a rundown, cheap building, a small house, anything.

What he hadn’t expected was to run into a bakery, much less one of the best ones in Paris.

Adrien put on a friendly smile, tone polite and soft, “ _Bonjour_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I'm sorry for the short chapter, the next one will be longer :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! ....Um, yeah, I know I'm super late into updating and I'm so sorry! I unexpectedly got many fic requests on tumblr and uni kept me busy so I was tight on time >_< I hope you'll still like the chapter! Let me know what you think so far! :)

**Chapter 5**

“ _Bonjour!”_ the friendly couple greeted back.

The shorter woman stood behind the cash register as the man disappeared back into the kitchen, a handful of dough held in his hands. “What would you like to order?”

Adrien’s hand rested on his badge hidden by his jacket. The slip of paper felt like it was burning up in his pocket, but his friendly smile remained as he walked up to the counter, gaze scanning the assorted sweets and pastries lined up aesthetically pleasing.

A chuckle passed his lips when he straightened, “Honestly, it’s so difficult choosing something from the best bakery in all of Paris.” He smiled in embarrassment at the older woman who laughed.

“Why thank you very much, would you perhaps like some butter or chocolate croissants? My husband just took out a fresh batch from the oven.” And sure enough, a steaming platter of golden-brown croissants was already making it’s way onto the front. Carried by none other than a proud-looking baker, who winked at him with a friendly smile as he set the platter down and disappeared back into the kitchen.

Adrien laughed, genuinely amused by the pair despite the nature of his visit. “Well, if you don’t mind two croissants, please.”

“Butter or chocolate?”

Adrien rubbed his chin, green gaze locked onto the delicacies and his stomach flared up at the prospect of eating _any_ of them, _‘I’m on duty but…’_

The man cleared his throat, smiling. ”…Butter please for both.” He was already taking out his wallet when the two croissants were steaming on the plate, along with the coffee machine working in the background. Probably for the woman herself, it was still early, after all.

Adrien gratefully took his order and sat at one of the many free tables, the sweet smell of baked goods filling his senses from all around.

_“She’s a suspect.”_

Adrien froze, mid-way in taking his first bite out of the mouth-watering pastry.

_“Do you have any evidence denying it?”_

The blond’s mouth pulled into a dark frown, gaze narrowed as the croissant dropped back to the plate. Wayhem’s words replaying in his mind.

_“It could be an act!”_

He was ripped out of his thoughts by the dark-haired woman placing a steaming mug of coffee in front of him, “Your coffee, sir.”

Adrien blinked, glancing from the coffee to the kind woman, “I’m sorry I didn’t order any coffee, mademoiselle.”

The Chinese woman smiled kindly, “It’s on the house, we usually serve a beverage for our customers. It’s still early and I’m sure you’ll need the caffeine for your shift.”

The blond quirked a confused brow, until the woman motioned towards something at his midsection.

It was his badge, on full display thanks to jacket falling away to the sides. He quickly tucked his badge away farther up his belt, clearing his throat again. “Apologies, I’m…off duty at the moment.”

The older women nodded, smiling. “That’s alright officer, you just enjoy your break.”

Adrien smiled, nodding his thanks before she turned around to tend to other things behind the counter.

Finally.

It was time.

The still steaming croissant was inching closer and closer towards his mouth, a burning fire already settling into the pit of his stomach at the very real thought of _finally_ eating the delicious pastry.

When he bit into it at long last, Adrien’s senses were overwhelmed with a sweet, savory explosion, the crunchy outside mixing with the softness from the inside. He washed it down with the warm coffee, sweetness accompanied by mild bitterness.

Adrien turned around in his chair to flash a bright smile at the woman placing more goods on display, “This is delicious! My greatest compliments to the chef.”

She giggled, bowing in gratitude, “Thank you, officer, that’s very kind of you.”

He waved casually, “Off duty I’m no officer.”

She nodded, a warm, motherly smile on her lips, “I hope your coffee isn’t too sweet, Marinette always liked to drink milder coffee in the morning to start her day, she was never a morning person.” Another giggle, this one speaking volumes of fond memories.

Adrien perked up at the name, attention successfully shifted, mouth still taking another small bite out of his breakfast. “Marinette? Oh your co-worker?” he feigned ignorance, which by all accounts he should be having to the woman.

“No, my daughter. She moved out a few years ago, she was always a bit of a clutz you must know.” She covered her mouth with her hand, giggles escaping her. “She never could carry a platter full of cookies without at least a few dropping to the floor, but she was a good baker, just like her papa.” She gave a side glance to the back of the kitchen, obviously getting the same returned, for her eyes softened even further.

Adrien took a gulp of the warm concoction in his hand, mind filing away information. “She sounds charming, your daughter, I mean.”

He remembered the episode in the morning, the kitchen scene where both of them got a scare and her jittery, ditzy reactions made sense.

“Oh she is. Always such a sweetheart, not to mention as busy as a bee, working on her designs and everything!” the mother gushed proudly, making Adrien’s lips curl into a smile.

“Designs?” Adrien drank his coffee, raising a brow in interest.

The woman nodded. “Yes, she is a designer and has her own art and design studio. She may not be as famous as Mr. Agreste of course, but she is- are you alright?”

Adrien was coughing violently into his hand, the woman rushing forward to hand him a spare napkin, the blond quickly wiping his mouth and taking a breath to compose himself.

“I-I’m sorry, pardon me!” he held up a hand, residue coughs still wracking his body from before. Quickly taking a big bite out of his croissant, Adrien chewed quickly. “Um, your-your daughter sounds lovely.” Adrien filed away all and any information for later, ignoring the pitter patter of his heart. “You mentioned her being a designer? So, she…doesn’t have any affiliations with any sort of other…dealings?” he coughed, taking a larger gulp of his coffee.

Marinette’s mother rose an eyebrow. “Well, she does get contracts often and commissions from models to design for them.” And suddenly, a small knowing smile crossed her lips. “Would you perhaps like to meet her once? I’m sure I can call her and arrange for her to be here, she hasn’t called in a while, living _alone_ as she is but I’m sure meeting such a young handsome man like yourself will bring a bit more liveliness in this quaint bakery again.”

She winked and Adrien’s mind reeled, identifying the wink and tone as all mothers used to imply their daughters meet a potential suitor.

 _Wait_.

Adrien coughed again and the woman quickly rushed to give him another napkin.

* * *

Once he was back inside his car, Adrien leaned back against the headrest, hands running down his face.

With reddened cheeks, Adrien killed the engine and drove back to the direction of the precinct, mind still replaying the lovely, if not eccentric conversations he’d had in the bakery.

The situation had worsened when Marinette’s father, as Adrien learned was Tom, had gotten involved, happily suggesting how his daughter was a shy lovely woman with the kindest heart in all of France.

_‘You’re on duty, get yourself under control, Agreste!’_

Hands tightening on the steering wheel, Adrien pulled over to stop, taking out a small notepad he kept stored in the compartment.

He listed all the things he’d managed to find out about the suspect.

_Marinette Dupain-Cheng_

_26 years old_

_Likes cats, designing clothes, sewing, helping others, baking_

_Master’s degree in fashion design_

_Owns fashion and art studio_

_Co-workers: Nathaniel Kurtzberg, Juleka Couffaine, Rose Lavillant, Marc Anciel_

_Clients: Unknown, suspected models from the region_

_Parents: Tom and Sabine Dupain-Cheng_

Adrien sighed, tapping his forehead with the rim of the notepad.

There were still many points missing. Of course, he didn’t make it seem like he was actually interrogating her parents, he’d asked questions expected of someone with interest in…their daughter.

Adrien groaned, running a hand through his hair before catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror.

His hair was a mess.

Taking out a small comb he kept in the compartment above, Adrien quickly ran it through his hair a few times, combing it to the side so it didn’t look like his bedhead anymore.

Nino kept suggesting to use hair gel, but old habits, no matter how detested, died hard.

Adrien opened his wallet, flipping open a small case and spotting the side of a well-tailored white suit, a red and white patterned tie and red pants along with the grey slicked back hair.

Averting his gaze, Adrien quickly closed his wallet and killed the engine, face focused as he drove back towards the precinct.

His knuckles were white on the steering wheel, but the officer paid it no mind.

* * *

The silence over dinner almost seemed a welcome reprieve.

Except for the noises of cutlery, the two women only sparingly exchanged words. Since they sat down to eat, they hadn’t uttered a word.

Marinette was hyper focused on her food, vegetables, a garlic-smelling spicy sauce and noodles. She noted the captain must have skills in cooking, it had actually tasted good, contrary to her first impression of the woman.

She wore make-up on her face, light blue eyeshadow and the like, kept her nails well-manicured but on the shorter end. The woman seemed to be of the ‘no nonsense’ kind and yet there was something there that Marinette sensed was…different.

She had no idea how the next phone call would prove her correct.

The ringing of a phone blared loudly in the room like an alarm and Plagg hissed from his spot on the pillow. Captain Bourgeois spared the cat no mind, steps swift and precise as she fished out her phone from her bag.

“Captain Bourgeois here.” She answered with a curt, clipped tone, all professional, no weakness.

Marinette didn’t dare turn her head to look at her, too afraid to be caught red-handed, instead, she continued to eat her food.

Then, she noticed the barest, most subtle changes in the blonde’s voice. “Yes…please give her to me.” Several seconds passed until Marinette heard a shrill scream through the phone. The captain didn’t seem unsettled by the sound, so Marinette tried not to let her heart jump out of her throat.

Was that another suspect? Had someone been injured? Was it a criminal? A colleague? Why was there screaming? Who was on the phone? Why was the woman so calm?

If Marinette had turned her head, she would’ve seen the smallest of smiles grace Chloe Bourgeois lips. “Are you okay?” the curtness and icy chill was gone, replaced by something much more…human-sounding.

Marinette didn’t dare say it was gentleness.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be home soon.” Several more seconds passed and the call ended.

Marinette sat frozen still, feeling like a fish circled by a great white shark as the blonde captain walked around the table to get to her seat again.

Once seated and eating, Marinette forgot to chew the food in her mouth, until a sharp voice promptly reminded her of it: “Chew your food Miss Dupain-Cheng.”

There it was, the icy chill again.

Captain Bourgeois didn’t look at her while eating from her own plate, but Marinette nearly choked at the command, furiously chewing the food to bits before swallowing thickly. “Y-Yes!”

The high pitched response left her lips in a panicked hurry and Marinette didn’t look up once from her plate again.

Several more minutes passed until the police woman spoke again. “For your information, since you seem to be dying internally, that had been my daughter on the phone.”

The fork in the dark-haired woman’s hand froze and the chain rattled when her hand spasmed reflexively. “Y-You have a d-daughter?!”

_How?!_

How could…how could someone like _her_ have children?

Those poor kids!

Marinette’s eyes went bugeyed and the captain in front of her laughed haughtily, waving her hand. “Of course I do.” As if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Marinette nearly choked.

“B-But…w-why are you telling me this?”

She was still a suspect wasn’t she? While Marinette would never do anything to harm children, the police woman didn’t know her, she knew protocol, surely she didn’t just tell anyone about her having a daughter-

“Because, according to your background, you’ve watched over children before as an assistant in schools and kindergartens, correct? I can only assume they weren’t foolish in choosing you to watch over the safety of many children.” She continued eating, as if not even holding a conversation at all, while Marinette was sweating buckets.

She fidgeted with her fingers, shifting her weight on the chair and sliding her feet on the floor. “T-That’s, um…t-that’s nice of you to-“

Sudden laughter cut her off and Marinette blinked in surprise when the captain lifted her fork to point at her, a haughty look on her face. “Oh, you should’ve seen your face, Miss Dupain-Cheng, how gullible of you to believe I would truly reveal any sort of private information about myself to a _suspect_.” She laughed, wiping the corners of her mouth with a napkin. “Utterly _ridiculous_.”

Marinette’s cheeks tinged red in embarrassment, her bottom lip jutting out at the charade the woman had thrown just to make fun of her.

Of course, how _could_ she have believed the ice queen to even entertain the thought of having children? No child would ever be happy having her as a mother, Marinette was happy that wasn’t the case.

Seething in silence over the humiliation, Marinette stabbed her fork into a sliced carrot and chewed.

* * *

It was late in the afternoon when Adrien Agreste finally came home from work and captain Bourgeois left.

The two fellow officers conversed quietly at the doorway, too low for Marinette to understand, all she caught was a genuine ‘thank you so much Chloe’ from officer Agreste, along with a quick kiss on the cheek, before the woman finally left the apartment.

Once the door was locked and closed, Marinette leaned her head back against the soft cushioning of the couch and sighed heavily in relief.

_What a day._

Marinette sincerely hoped she would never see the blonde woman again, or at least that she not be put in charge to watch over her again.

Even Plagg had kept his distance away from her, only walking towards his food bowl when the woman walked away from it, even sniffing it cautiously, as if expecting her to poison him.

Marinette wouldn’t be entirely too sure she wouldn’t attempt it either.

At least officer Agreste was here, he was a blond Marinette felt far more comfortable with.

With a small, tired smile Marinette greeted the officer in the living room, with Plagg lounging on her lap contently.

“I hope she was nice to you.” He smiled, a genuine, kind smile, the polar opposite of the witch that just left the house.

Marinette forced on a smile, trembling and thin, all teeth showing. “Yeah….she was…nice.”

And in that moment, Plagg released something akin to a yowl or the most human groan Marinette ever heard and she couldn’t help but snort in amusement.

* * *

It was night by the time captain Chloe Bourgeois arrived home.

She unlocked her door, armed with not one but three keyholes, a different key for each lock until the thick door finally granted her entry.

The house was warm and filled with a sweet scent, and as soon as her feet hit the soft surface of the carpet on the floor, a weight crashed into her legs.

The previously icy aura of the blonde vanished immediately, replaced by the warmest smile ever seen on her face, the hard lines disappearing, icy blue eyes filled with love and kindness.

She bent down to pick up the small figure with large blue eyes, small chubby hands grabbing at her hair and face.

Chloe laughed, nuzzling her daughter and kissing her forehead and cheek, one arm supporting her bottom while the other balanced her back, rubbing soothing circles on the warm body tenderly. “I’m home!”

An orange haired head shot out from the kitchen, sea green eyes softening at the sight of her friend. “Welcome home, you’re late.”

Chloe steadied the small bundle of squealing gurgles and wiggling limbs on her hip, walking towards the kitchen.

It was warm, almost humid, but the sweet smell that filled the area made Chloe’s head spin. “Open a window, it’s too stuffy in here, Aline will suffocate.” She patted her daughter’s back again, smiling when she burped.

Her friend rushed to open a window and Chloe took the time to peek beneath the cloth covering the pie. It was some sort of fruity pie, slices of mangoes or a similar fruit littering its smooth baked surface. “I see you were busy today, Sabrina.”

The other woman laughed, taking Aline from the captain and sitting her back in her high chair, so she sat at the table with her mother. “It wasn’t too bad. How was work?”

“Busy.” Was her only explanation while Chloe took out two plates and a knife, walking towards the table and cutting the pie in slices.

Aline made grabby hands towards the pie, but Chloe gently wagged her finger and bopped her nose playfully. “No, no, no, you are getting fruit, young lady.” Sabrina smiled and made to cut up small pieces of bananas for Aline to eat.

Once everything was cut and set, the two women sat down at the table, Chloe handing Sabrina her own plate with two slices. “You really didn’t have to Chloe, I have to get going anyway.”

The blonde shook her head, fork digging into the soft fluffy texture. “Don’t be ridiculous and eat.”

With a soft, knowing smile, Sabrina ate her fill, the two friends casually talking about their day.

Chloe every so often played with Aline, softly stroking her growing blonde head and fixing the saliva and bits of banana stuck to her chin.

Sabrina leaned her chin on one hand, watching the heartwarming interactions. “She missed you.”

The answer was immediate. “And I missed her.” Chloe glanced towards her friend and sighed. “I’m sorry about earlier, I was with a suspect.”

Sabrina giggled. “No worries, I figured. I’m sorry I called, she started hiccupping for too long so I got worried.”

Chloe snorted softly, shaking her head. “It’s fine, I’m not mad you called or anything. She must’ve swallowed to quickly and tried to breathe at the same time, since she’s not an infant anymore, she lost that ability.” Chloe gently pinched her daughter’s cheek, Aline immediately grasping her mother’s finger and laughing.

“Thanks for watching over her.” The soft confession made Sabrina laugh.

“Of course, you know I’m always here.”

Chloe smiled, watching her daughter eat, but Sabrina knew her attention was on both. “Thank you.”

“Always.”

**Thanks for reading! (And I’m so sorry for the long wait, I’ll try to update faster) What did you think so far?**

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading everyone! Feedback is always welcome! :)


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